< previous page page_470 next page >

Page 470
his oath of fealty. Having made her decision, Ela hurried down to the hall, clutching the letter without even putting the finishing touches to her toilet. She expected a reaction, but not quite as violent a one as she got.
"What did you say has happened to Ian?" Salisbury cried, leaping to his feet.
"He has disappeared. Well, Alinor thinks she knows"
"From where? When? He is not a child or a maiden to be abducted without a struggle. How"
"William, do not shout so. You make my head ring. I never said he had been abducted. I said he had disappeared. He spent a night in Powys Castle and told them there he was going on to the keep at Clyro Hill. At Clyro Keep, they said he had not come, but the messenger was not allowed in and Alinor believes"
"Clyro? Powys? What the hell is Ian doing in Wales? The last I knew he was besieging a stubborn castellan at Kemp."
"I do not know what he was doing in Wales. Alinor did not take time to write the entire history of what happened, poor woman. Who cares for why he is there"
"Ela, you are not silly, so do not talk silly. Why he is there might well have a bearing upon what happened."
"Well, I am not a witch, and Alinor did not tell me, so how could I know? And if you do not stop shouting at me, you will not only give me a headache but shake loose what few wits I have. Why do you not listen to what I say? Or, better yet, here, read Alinor's letter."
Lady Ela thrust the parchment into her husband's hands, sank limply into the chair he had vacated, and watched his unguarded expression as he read. It was just as well she had not tried to put it on the king, she thought, as she saw the concern mingled with relief painted on his face. William had had his own fears concerning Lord Ian, but obviously they had nothing to do with the keep at Clyro Hill. In another moment,

 
< previous page page_470 next page >